


Inverso

by ilovewrighting



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Dark Will Graham, Hannibal Lecter Loves Will Graham, Hannibal Lecter is a Cannibal, Hannibal Lecter is the Chesapeake Ripper, Jack asks Hannibal to consult on the Minnesota Shrike case, M/M, Sassy Will Graham, Serial Killer Will Graham, Slow Burn, Will Graham Doesn't Need Help, Will Graham Hates Hannibal Lecter, Will Graham is the copycat, only at first
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-05-27 00:36:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15012866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilovewrighting/pseuds/ilovewrighting
Summary: “Hannibal, this is special agent Will Graham.” Jack introduced.“I can handle this case on my own Jack, I thought you trusted me.” Hannibal said, dismissing Will.“Not fond of authority figures, are you? Quite a complex for a psychiatrist.” Will assessed astutely.Hannibal turned slowly to Will. “I'm sorry, where did you receive your psychological training from? Agent Graham, is it?”Will opened his mouth to retort but Jack cut him off. “I want you two to consult with one another.” Jack said with the tone of a father telling two brothers not to fight.





	1. Incontro

“My name is Jack Crawford. I was wondering if I could borrow your imagination.” 

Hannibal quirked his head at the other man from his desk chair. “My imagination?” he repeated.

“There's been a series of disappearances. Eight girls.” Jack explained. 

“I'm not a profiler.” Hannibal redirected. 

“No, but you're a psychiatrist. Skilled in the human mind. Medical past, knowledgeable about anatomy. You have all the prerequisites to be a profiler.” Jack said, trying to convince Hannibal to come on board the case.

Hannibal put down his pen, finally looking at Jack. “You think so?” he touched the artists chisel on his desk, always an available weapon, should an unsuspecting FBI agent come looking for trouble. This, however could be an unparalleled opportunity.

Jack nodded. “We have a disappearance that fits the description. I'm going to interview the parents now. Would you like to come along?” 

Hannibal tilted his head, assessing Jack and his intentions. “Let me get my coat.” He said, rising gracefully. 

.

The parents of Elise Nichols spoke with Jack and Hannibal listened intently. 

“When was your last interaction with Elise?” Hannibal asked, eventually. 

“She called us Thursday night, said she was coming home Friday. We were leaving just a few hours before she was supposed to come home.” the mom explained with a faraway look.

“We tried to get into contact with her over the weekend but only a few times. We were away and often times when she was at school we would go a day or two without talking to her. We didn't think anything was wrong until we got back Monday and there was no sign of her.” the father finished. 

“May I see her computer?” Hannibal asked. 

The parents looked at each other. “It's in her room.” the mom said. “I can take you up.” 

“Thank you,” Hannibal replied kindly and followed the mother up the stairs. 

As they approached Hannibal noticed the cat pawing at the door. “I forgot gloves downstairs. So silly of me. Let's go back down for a moment.” Hannibal said, his heart beating fast wondering if he would find what he suspected behind the door. 

They descended the stairs Hannibal moved to Jack’s side and whispered to him. 

“I'm gonna ask you two to step outside with me for just a moment.” Jack said, ushering Mr. and Mrs. Nichols outside. 

“Why are you doing this? Is she here? Elise!?” the mother was beginning to get hysterical and Jack had another officer restrain them as they ascended the stairs, Jack with his gun drawn. 

As they opened the door to the bedroom Hannibal went to girl's side. “Elise?” he asked, shaking her by the shoulders. His drive to save lives kicked in and he tried to take her pulse at multiple points, finding nothing. He stood, his breathing heavy, wondering how he was feeling empathy for this dead girl that he didn't know. 

“She’s gone, Jack,” Hannibal said softly. 

.

“Hannibal, this is special agent Will Graham.” the next day, Jack, Will and Hannibal gathered in the director's office at the FBI headquarters. 

“I can handle this case on my own Jack, I thought you trusted me.” Hannibal said, dismissing Will as a babysitter he didn't need. 

“Not fond of authority figures, are you? Quite a complex for a psychiatrist.” Will assessed astutely. 

Hannibal turned slowly to Will. “I'm sorry, where did you receive your psychological training from? Agent Graham, is it?” he asked sarcastically. 

Will opened his mouth to retort but Jack cut him off. “I want you two to consult with one another.” Jack said with the tone of a father telling two brothers not to fight. 

“I do not need a handler, Jack.” Hannibal said, once again not addressing Will. 

“Seems to me that confidence like that is short lived. Jack told me about Nichols yesterday. Must have been a bit of a shock.” Will said, assessing Hannibal to see if he really was shocked. 

“Hard to imagine how a killer like that might think,” Hannibal said effectively dodging the first question.

“Is it?” Will asked, pointedly, narrowing his eyes. 

Hannibal stared at Will. “Might I ask what you mean by that?” he challenged. 

“I didn't mean anything. Just wondering if you really find it that difficult to imagine how a killer thinks. I sometimes find it too easy. That's why I'm here.” Will said evasively.

Jack raised his eyebrows at the instant tension between the pair. “Will is very experienced. But he prefers not to work cases with victims this young. You two will work together on this. I trust you Hannibal, you handled yesterday well, but this case is too big to have a first time profiler working alone.” He compromised. 

“Very well,” Hannibal said, rising to go. “Just remember who is supposed to be doing the profiling and who's supposed to be doing the psychoanalyzing. Good day gentlemen.” he left the office. 

Will stared, smiling after the man. 

“I would really prefer if you didn't prod him like that.” Jack warned. 

“He can handle it.” Will said, seeing afterimages Hannibal where he had left a moment ago. Seeing an opportunity. 

.

The next morning Will showed up at Hannibal’s house at 9 am promptly, ringing the doorbell. 

“Agent Graham,” Hannibal greeted him formally when he answered the door. “I thought Jack was coming to meet me this morning.” He suggested, eyeing the other man.

“He was busy with other official FBI business, he’s quite the commodity. He sends his apologies and me in his stead.” Will explained.

“Then, by all means, come in,” Hannibal said, sweeping the door open in a kind gesture. Will nodded and stepped across the threshold, all the while assessing the other man and his posture. He didn’t seem to be put out at all at the stranger showing up at his front door. Perhaps it was because he kept his home immaculate. It was more of a mansion really, and Will stared at the high ceilings as Hannibal ushered him in. 

“I was just sitting down to breakfast, but there is plenty, as I assumed Jack would be here as well. Please join me before we go.” Hannibal said, a gleam in his eye.

“Okay,” Will said, “Smells delicious,” He said

“Tell me something, Agent Graham,” Hannibal started, losing no time.

“Please, call me Will,” He said, adjusting his glasses, still admiring the home as he followed Hannibal through the hall toward the kitchen. 

“Okay, Will. Why has Jack Crawford insisted that you become my babysitter?” Hannibal asked, sweeping the door open to the kitchen at the same time, and allowing Will to walk past him. Will wondered if he heard Hannibal sniff as he walked past him or if he imagined it.

Will entered the blindingly beautiful kitchen, taking his glasses off, and turning to stare directly at Hannibal. “Because you are new to this.” Will said, finally opting to give Hannibal a straight answer. “And because he thinks we are… compatible.” Will’s lips curled around the word.

Hannibal quirked his head. “And what do you think?” he asked, simply, as he plated fresh strawberries, blueberries, and hot pancakes each for himself and Will. 

“Jury’s still out,” Will said, crinkling his eyes as he smiled at him, sending shivers up Hannibal’s spine. “Seems to me like whatever happened to you when you were a doctor made you pretty tough to shake.” Each of the men wondered intensely who the other man was, what the other's intentions were. 

“I suppose we shall see in time, now, won’t we,” Hannibal replied. It had shaken him a little, the way Will had snarled around the word compatible. As if he didn’t think the two men were alike at all. He sat the two plates on the bar and gestured for Will to sit. “Just, keep it professional,” Hannibal said, a little bitingly. 

Will cocked his head a little, furrowing his eyebrows at Hannibal. “But where’s the fun in that?” Will asked, returning Hannibal’s sarcastic tone. He tasted the breakfast Hannibal had prepared and as Will hummed appreciatively, Hannibal assessed the other man from the corner of his eye. 

“I’m all for having fun. I just don’t find you all that interesting.” Hannibal said, delivering his final blow and turning himself to his plate, picking up a bite of strawberry on his fork, victorious.

Will sat in silence a moment before responding. “Oh don’t worry,” He said, turning to smirk at Hannibal. “I’m sure you will soon enough.”

Hannibal narrowed his eyes, digesting the man’s words. 

“This is delicious,” Will said, then, suddenly. “Thank you so much for your kind hospitality.” He gave Hannibal a genuine smile, one that made Hannibal wonder just what he was getting himself into working with Jack Crawford. 

“You are quite welcome, Will. So tell me about the new lead in the case.” The older man asked, trying to circle back around to a more pertinent conversation.

“They’ve found a girl who meets the descriptions of the Shrike’s victims. She’s mounted on antlers in the middle of a field.” Will said, adjusting his glasses. 

“And you think this is definitely our man?” Hannibal asked. “Mounted on antlers is quite different from placed gently back into her bedroom, don’t you think?” 

“Gotta see the body. I won’t know until I see it,” Will said, decidedly.

“Sounds like our shy boy might have an admirer to me,” Hannibal said, cocking his head a little, assessing Will. “We should get on the road, then?” He asked, cleaning up from their breakfast.

“I’m ready when you are,” Will said,

“I’m always ready,” Hannibal countered.

.

Jack Crawford met them at the scene, a little while later. 

“You boys better prepare yourself for what you’re about to see.” He said. “Elise Nichols was one thing, but this guy is in a total different ballgame now. Just so you two have a warning about what you’re walking into over here.” Jack warned.

“I’m sure it’s nothing I can’t handle,” Hannibal said with a small smile and Will resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

“I’ve prepped myself.” Will said stoically. Hannibal spent a sideways glance at Will, wondering just how much of this carnage Will had seen. 

“Follow me,” Jack said and led them out into a grassy field. “She was found here this morning. The crows have been pecking at her but the team’s looking for evidence.” 

“Seems like the Shrike to me.” Will said. “I mean, look at her, same build, same hair, same everything as all those other girls. The question isn’t if it’s him, the question is why he’s sent back two girls in a row when the other 7 haven’t been seen again.” He assessed, as they walked around the crime scene.

“On the contrary, William, look at the manner in which she is mounted. This is not exactly the same way that Elise’s wounds were. These are for display, whereas Elise’s wounds were for ceremony.” Hannibal said. “Elise had been mounted and then removed, whereas this one was mounted in a very specific way that he didn’t want to undo.” Hannibal suggested.

“Good, I like where this is going.” Jack said. “You don’t think it’s the same killer, Hannibal?” Jack asked.

“I think we could have copycat.” Hannibal suggested. “This doesn’t strike me as the Minnesota shrike. It isn’t even his usual time period? Haven’t all the other girl’s disappeared Friday through Monday?” He asked.

“You make a good point there, that it doesn’t fit the usual time table,” Jack said.

“I don’t know,” Will said, walking around the body. “What exactly is missing?” He asked

Beverly looked up from where she was swabbing one of the wounds. “She’s missing her lungs, but not much else. Seems like this was primarily a display kill.” 

“The other girls have never been seen again and then Elise Nichols gets hand delivered back to her own bedroom… Then, this in the same week?” Will asked 

“I forgot to tell you guys, we got some tests back on Nichols. The liver, which had been taken out and sewn back in? It was cancerous. She had undiagnosed liver cancer.” Beverly said. “Why would the person try to take her liver, realize it wasn’t healthy and then put it back?” 

“It was sewn back in?” Hannibal asked, narrowing his eyes.

“That’s right,” Beverly said. 

“I don’t want to be morbid,” Hannibal said. “But perhaps our man is eating them. It would explain why there is no evidence of the other girls, but here we have two rejects.” Hannibal pondered.

Will narrowed his eyes. “So why take the lungs here and then leave her body on display?” he asked

“I wonder if there is anything wrong with the rest of this girl’s organs.” Hannibal mused. “Or like I said, we could have an admirer on our hands. Murders like these tend to garner a lot of attention,” He said, staring hard at Will. “The Shrike will know that it wasn’t his kill, but there is no genuine way for us to be sure that it wasn’t,” Hannibal said.

“So you’re saying... it’s like a valentine, almost?” Beverly asked. 

“That’s a good metaphor, yes, Beverly,” Hannibal said, “I wonder if our copycat wasn’t leaving this… art, as a form of offering,”

Will stared hard at Hannibal, and Hannibal pretended not to notice. He was deeply invested in whether or not Beverly was biting this story that he was spinning. 

“Like a human sacrifice,” Beverly said. 

“Precisely,” Hannibal confirmed.

“Let’s get a team on this, I want to know if we have any evidence that the Shrike could be a cannibal. Hannibal, good work today. Will, I need to speak with you,” Jack said, wrapping up for the time being.

“Thank you, Jack. Goodbye, now,” Hannibal said, and walked off back toward the direction of the car he and Will had shared, giving Will some time to speak privately with Jack.

“How’s he doing?” Jack asked. “You think this is still the shrike?” 

Will sighed. “He’s fine. I don’t necessarily love him.” Will said, adjusting his glasses. “I don’t know, Jack. My brain tells me it’s the shrike and my gut tells me that Hannibal’s right. But he’s right on all accounts. If this really is a copycat killer, he’s probably an intelligent psychopath that won’t leave any clues and will probably never kill this way again. There’s no real chance to catch him.” Will concluded.

“Fair,” Jack said. “Keep an eye on him.” 

“Won’t be a problem.” Will said, following Hannibal to the car. 

On the way back to Hannibal’s home Will asked about Hannibal’s reactions to the murders.

“I told Jack, I know it’s disconcerting, but I saw much death during my time as an ER doctor, so it is just a part of my life, now,” Hannibal said.

“I don’t think it’s disconcerting,” Will said as he drove. “I think it’s very strong,” 

“Strong or stubborn?” Hannibal asked, chuckling a little bit.

“Two sides of the same coin, aren’t they? Strength and stubbornness?” Will countered and Hannibal studied his form.

“I suppose you are right in that respect,” Hannibal amended. “Although they are not quite equal sides. Stubbornness leaves you open to vulnerability.”

“And are you feeling vulnerable, Doctor Lecter?” Will asked, his eyes, sliding over to assess Hannibal in the passenger seat.

Hannibal thought for a moment, about the intimate question Will posed. Clearly he was keeping up with Hannibal’s wordplay. “I don’t think the coin has landed yet.” He said, at last.

.

Later that evening, when Hannibal had been dropped off at home and Will had finally made the trek back to Wolf Trap, Will stood in his kitchen. He locked all the doors and told the begging dogs to go lay down.

On his counter, he spread out the lungs of Cassie Boyle. She had been an easy little thing to kill, so much so that Will had barely exerted any energy. The display part was the most intense, but Will was privy to that part even when it wasn’t as elaborate.

He massaged the lungs and cooked them to perfection. He took his time seasoning them just right, and sat down on the porch with a tumbler of fine whiskey.

Will smiled to himself. Hannibal was going to prove to be a challenge. He was wondering how their meetings would continue to go. It was a surprise that Hannibal was astute enough to pick up that Cassie Boyle had not in fact been killed by the Minnesota Shrike. Yet, Will always loved a challenge. 

Every case he had worked this year had been boring and dry. This Shrike was finally livening up his work life and it had renewed Will’s taste for violence. 

He imagined Hannibal seeing him for what he was. A cannibal and a killer, but also a special agent for the FBI. 

Will imagined having to kill Hannibal, first him coming to Will and confronting him. Then, before he could tell Jack, Will would kidnap him and bring him here to his house. Wolf Trap was so big and sparse that no one would hear Hannibal scream. He imagined having to finish the job, slit his throat and watch him bleed out on the floor. 

As Will chewed thoughtfully on Cassie Boyle’s perfectly cooked lungs, he pondered other ways he might have to kill Hannibal and sipped his whiskey, long into the night.


	2. Vedere

The next day Will called Hannibal with news of a new break in the case. Well, in reality Jack had called Will, and then Will had called Hannibal. 

“Yes, Jack?” Will had answered brusquely. 

“We have a lead.” Jack said. “Elise Nichols wounds, we got a location on the debris. You and Hannibal are going to go see what you can stir up over there, try to find us something more concrete.” Jack explained.

“Sure, what kind of location? And what kind of lead are we looking for?” Will asked.

“It’s a construction site. You’re looking for anything suspicious. You always know what you’re looking for when you find it. I’m trusting you on this and hoping you try to impart some of that wisdom onto your partner, Hannibal while you’re at it.” Jack said, pointedly.

Will grumbled at the repeated mention of his new partner. “I don’t see why I need to bring him everywhere like some stray dog,” Will finally said.

“Because I’m telling you to, that’s why.” Jack said sternly. “I thought you would appreciate another pair of hands, another brilliant brain to knock ideas around in. Use him, Graham, don’t be petty,” Jack warned and hung up the phone.

Will fumed as he dialed Hannibal’s number and did deep breathing exercises to calm himself as the phone rang. 

“What’s the plan for today?” Hannibal asked after the usual pleasantries. 

“They found a very specific type of metal within the wounds of Elise Nichols. Traced it back to a construction site. You and I are going to go check it out.” Will replied

“What are we looking for exactly?” Hannibal asked. He cradled the phone between his shoulder and ear as he chopped fruit for his breakfast.

“Not sure yet.” Will said, honestly, pacing his living room. “We’ll talk to the secretary, see if we can look through some files, try to find something suspicious. We have to see where the lead takes us. I’m coming to pick you up.” 

“Very well, see you soon, Will,” Hannibal said, hanging up the phone and placing the diced strawberries into a crepe that was cooking on the stove. He finished one, plated it, and made a second, wrapping it in a box for Will.

Hannibal carried the box as he went out to Will’s car. “Did you have any breakfast?” Hannibal asked immediately as he leaned into the passenger’s side window.

Will side eyed Hannibal from the driver’s seat. “That smells delicious,” He said in reply, eyeing the box.

“I made extra this morning. Let’s switch and you can eat while I drive.” Hannibal suggested and Will looked like he would decline for a moment, so Hannibal popped open the box, letting the smell envelope the whole car. 

“Thank you, Hannibal,” Will said, as he got out of the car, and Hannibal grinned. The way to a man’s heart has always been and will always be through the stomach.

A little while later, as the two well dressed men stepped out of the car at the construction site, Hannibal Lecter blinked in the mid-morning sunshine. 

Will approached the secretary and opened his mouth to start demanding information. 

“Good morning,” Hannibal intoned sweetly, smiling. “how are you today?” 

Will gave him a sideways glance. What was he doing? 

The secretary smiled sweetly and Will glanced between the two of them, feeling confused, and a little excluded. They exchanged pleasantries and much to Will’s surprise, the secretary told them they could do as they pleased.

“Look at this,” Will said, when they had been looking through files for almost an hour. “Garrett Jacob Hobbs. No mailing address.” 

“Is that suspicious?” Hannibal asked.

“Wouldn’t be if he hadn’t left his last paycheck sitting here collecting dust,” Will said, smacking the file against his hand.

“Very interesting find,” Hannibal said.

“We’ll need to take some of these files.” Will said to the secretary.

“Whatever you gentlemen need,” She replied, smiling sweetly at Hannibal.

“Thank you dear,” he said, with another saccharine smile.

Will watched on, wondering how he ended up with such an unorthodox partner. In any other situation WIll would have gone in expecting a fight and more often than not, he was met with resistance. 

He was impressed with how easy it had been for Hannibal to both gain access to the files and then, now be able to ask for them so pleasantly. 

.

"Oops," Hannibal dropped a box of papers off the side of the dingy trailer. "So clumsy of me," he said to Will. He headed back into the trailer, pulled a tissue from the box and picked up the phone. 

"They know." He said brusquely, and put the phone back on the receiver. 

"What are you doing?" Will asked, suddenly right behind Hannibal. 

Hannibal turned, startled. "Didn't hear you behind me, Will, just grabbing a tissue." Hannibal nudged his nose with the tissue but Will's eyes narrowed. His gaze turned toward the telephone, then returned to Hannibal. 

"Let's go," he said roughly and Hannibal followed him out of the trailer. They drove in silence to the Hobbs residence and when they parked the car, Will looked over at Hannibal. 

"Did Jack give you a gun?" He asked, his eyebrows rising, almost daring Hannibal to answer. 

"Yes." He said looking equally suspicious at Will who seemed to be opening his mouth to ask more. "And I know how to use it, thank you." 

Will closed his mouth decidedly and got out of the car, slamming his door behind him before Hannibal could exit. 

As they headed up the walkway to the front door, it swung open and a middle aged woman fell to the ground, her throat cut, bleeding heavily. Will ran to her, trying to the stop the blood flow while calling 911 to the scene. 

Hannibal rushed to the front door and went ahead inside. He approached the kitchen, rounding around the entry way. 

He had the gun poised out in front of him. This situation felt quite strange to him. He had never been on this side of the equation. He had only been in the other person's shoes, whoever this Garrett Jacob Hobbs is. The murderer. Waiting, wondering if a cop would burst through the door to end his life. 

As Hannibal turned the corner to the kitchen, he saw a girl no more than eighteen, deep in the grip of Garrett Jacob Hobbs. He had a knife raised to her throat and Hannibal opened his mouth to speak taking one cautionary hand from the gun and raising it in surrender. 

"You don't have to do this," Hannibal said softly. 

Then, there was blood spurting around the room is floods, Hannibal had fired his gun, once, twice maybe, he lost count. Suddenly the two were lying in pools of blood on the floor and Will was behind Hannibal, before he was registering that the girl was still alive. 

Will dropped to his knees and held her neck in place effectively holding the blood flow. 

"Hannibal?" Will said, his breathing heavy and his focus completely on Abigail. 

Hannibal was staring at the myriad of bloody holes pouring out of Garrett Jacob Hobbs. 

"See," slipped quietly from Garrett Jacob Hobbs whitening lips. "See,"

Killing him righteously felt so good, watching the life drain from his body until he could not longer do harm. Will watching him, not having to hide it, clean it up, dispose of every minute piece of evidence. 

"Hannibal, aren't you better at this than I am?" Will said rougher, then, feeling blood slipping between his fingers. "Stay with me, pretty girl," Will said "Stay with me,"

That was all Hannibal took to drop to the floor, taking over from Will’s shaking hands. "Sorry," he murmured, as Will took his hands away and stared into Hobbs' dead eyes.

Soon, EMT’s were crowding into the room, taking over from where Hannibal had left off. Will crowded into the ambulance with them, leaving Hannibal, bloodied and alone.

.

"You shot him how many times?" Jack asked incredulously, later when Hannibal arrived back to the director's office. 

He had driven back to Jack's temporary Minnesota headquarters in silence once Will had gone with the EMTs when they had taken Abigail away.

"Will said he had 6 bullet holes." Hannibal said quietly. 

"I hate to do this but I'm going to have to call in a psych eval." Jack said, making some notes. 

"I have a psychiatrist who I see weekly for my own care. Would you like to recommend someone more neutral? Or would you like me to discuss it with my own doctor?" Hannibal asked curiously. 

Jack stared at him blankly. "You seem pretty calm, Dr. Lecter, for having just been at a crime scene with three victims."

Hannibal sighed. "I worked ER at John's Hopkins for many years. I am no stranger to death." 

Jack assessed him under narrowed eyes. He was starting to wonder if Hannibal was a right fit for this position.

Will had been unsure at first, but that was Will Graham, always the paranoid one. Jack had trusted his gut on this one, and his gut was usually right. Yet, now, the more he began to know Hannibal, the more unsure his gut really was.

"I'm bringing in one of my own psychiatrists pending their agreement." Jack started. "But if you're offering I'd love to give your personal psychiatrist a call and chat a little." 

"Of course," Hannibal said, writing the info down on a card. "Perhaps she can give some more insight into my calm demeanor. I know it can be a little disconcerting." 

"Thank you, Dr. Lecter." Jack said, assessing Hannibal again. 

"Please, you needn’t continue using such formalities as doctor. You must start calling me Hannibal. I insist." He smiled warmly at Jack then. 

.

When Hannibal arrived at the hospital it was late in the evening and he was directed to a room in the intensive care unit, guarded with FBI agents. 

When he entered the room he was almost surprised to see Will Graham sleeping slumped over in the chair next to Abigail. 

Of course he would be so invested that he would stay with her. Hannibal wished he could go in the ambulance too but he settled for coming after his meeting with Jack. He knew his actions had been too severe to be let off the hook entirely.

Will stirred as he came in, but Hannibal stiffened, waiting for Will to relax again before shifting around the room. He sat in the chair on the opposite side of Abigail’s bed and stared at the unconscious girl, wondering how he could feel so attached already, to the beautiful red headed girl. 

Hannibal stared at her frail hands and imagined her helping her father kill the girls who looked like her. He wondered if she was truly capable of such brutality. Her father had cut her throat after all and she was still clinging onto life as the ambulance took her away. Hannibal was impressed with that level of vitality.

He looked across the bed then, at Will’s sleeping figure. His chest rose and fell and his five o’clock shadow had turned into 9 o’clock scruff. He looked worn out and exhausted, his clothes still speckled with blood. 

Hannibal closed his eyes and imagined himself as Garrett Jacob Hobbs, standing with his knife to Abigail’s throat.


	3. Immaginazione

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hannibal has a psych evaluation.

Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham had both stayed by Abigail's bedside as long as they could. 

Eventually the sound of a phone ringing and then a hushed voice pulled Hannibal back to consciousness. 

“No, he's here with me. I'll tell him.” Will was muttering to Jack, Hannibal assumed. 

The phone snapped shut. “You don't have to pretend to still be asleep. I can tell the difference.” Will said eventually and Hannibal slowly opened his eyes. 

“Was that Jack? Is there another case?” Hannibal asked. 

“Maybe for me there is.” Will said, bitingly. 

Hannibal chewed on his lip a moment. “You are not pleased with the way I handled things at the Hobbs household. I understand why.” Hannibal eventually said. 

“Why Jack's giving you a psych eval and another chance is beyond me. I'm going to get the details of this case, while you get psychoanalyzed.” he said, rising with his coat in hand. Will took a longing look at Abigail, hooked up to machines and monitors. He looked back to Hannibal, slowly. 

“And then I can meet you at the scene?” Hannibal asked and Will raised his eyebrows. 

“Do me a favor and don't look so excited when you show up to the murder later. Think you can handle that?” Will asked snarkily and pushed past Hannibal to exit the room.

Hannibal stared into the white surrounding hospital walls to calm himself. He thought of killing Will then, waiting until tonight, luring him to his house and butchering him there in the safety of his own home. No, this Will was too special for such treatment. The appetizers must be complementary to the main course and often enough his conversations with Will were beginning to feel like a prelude to something. 

His musings barely quieted in his head, Hannibal set off to meet Jack for his psych eval. 

When he got to Jack's office, he was surprised to find a familiar face. “Alana Bloom. What a pleasure.” He said, greeting her warmly. 

“Hello, Hannibal.” she said in return. “Jack has been telling me about your new position. It sounds very exciting.”

“And this is Doctor Chilton.” Jack introduced.

“Pleased to meet such a positively well-written psychiatrist.” Chilton complimented and Hannibal narrowed his eyes assessing the man's thin physique.

“Hello.” Hannibal said, looking to Jack. “Two psych evaluations the price of one?” He chided and Jack laughed. 

“I was worried you would find this to be a conflict of interest.” Alana interrupted. “I made Jack bring someone else just in case you don't want me to do your psych eval.” she said 

“She's very thorough,” Jack commended. 

“Indeed she is. I remember this quality from her days with me at John's Hopkins.” Hannibal said “I have no problem with Alana conducting my eval as long as you see no problem.” He said to Jack then.

“I picked her in the first place.” Jack laughed. “No offense Dr. Chilton.” 

“None taken. I'm always glad to be on hand just to make sure the job gets done ethically.” He said, eyeing Hannibal again. 

“Well then. Shall we begin?” Hannibal asked of Alana. 

“By all means.” Jack said, walking Chilton out and leaving Hannibal and Alana alone in the room. 

“So Hannibal. Tell me about Elise Nichols.” Alana started, right off the bat.

Hannibal sighed. “A tragedy.” He said, playing up his discomfort. “It was a pity I could not save her. I am only happy that Abigail has had better luck.” He said. 

“Right.” Alana made a note. “But how did you feel about Elise Nichols and finding her? Was it upsetting? Did you feel detachment?” she prompted. 

“You know as well as anyone that ER doctors are no stranger to death. I felt detachment, but I have evolved to feel the finality as well. No one is suffering in death.” Hannibal suggested. “Everything is beautiful peaceful silence.” 

“I see,” Alana said, making some notes. 

“But I feel the sadness creeping up on me. It's subdued by the anger at myself for how I acted in the Hobbs home, I think.” He said, misdirecting her.

“You're angry with yourself about what happened at the Hobbs house?” Alana asked, mirroring his phrasing back at him. 

“I acted quite impulsively. Then I was so distracted by my own chaos that it took me a second to realise Abigail needed medical attention.” Hannibal shook his head dramatically. 

“Jack said you seemed flippant about it.” Alana baited.

“He is my new boss. I want to seem strong and capable, not bogged down by the psychological burden of the entire job.” He argued. 

“Fair enough.” Alana said, making a few more notes. “I definitely don’t find you to be flippant about it, and like you said, you’ve seen things in the ER no one would believe.” she echoed his earlier statement.

“See, you do understand,” Hannibal said, “It’s almost a coping mechanism of mine to stay calm in the face of death. A mechanism I picked up at John’s Hopkins, undoubtedly,” He lied. 

Alana scribbled on her notepad. “I don’t really see why Jack called me up in the first place. Sure you shot a full round into this man, but you were trying to protect Abigail.” She led.

“Indeed. I could see he was going to cut her throat and I wanted to stop him.” Hannibal lied. Her throat had already been cut when Hannibal had started firing. 

“I’m going to give you a clear pass for work. I think you’re fine, you just need some more training.” She said. “They can’t expect you to use a gun in a heated situation correctly without teaching you to do so,” 

Hannibal quirked his head at her, “Quite right, Dr. Bloom,” He said, formally. “Perhaps they will have my new partner, Agent Graham train me.” Hannibal mused.

.

Not long after Alana and Hannibal emerged from the room with a signed evaluation in hand.

“Let's speak privately, Alana. Hannibal, call Will and head to wherever he is.” Jack instructed. 

“I'm clearing him to work,” Alana said simply to Jack when the office door clicked shut behind them. 

“You're sure about this?” Jack asked, eyeing the back of Hannibal through the glass windows in his office as he walked away. “Something feels off with him.” he said. 

Alana shrugged. “Something is off with him. But it's always off with him. He was this stoic when I was in med school too. We all figured he had lost one too many patients that he blamed himself for.” she explained. 

“And what do you think, Dr. Bloom?” Jack asked.

“I'm sorry?” Alana asked, taken a little off guard.

“You said we figured… that implies you figure something different now.” Jack said, and raised his eyebrows at Alana. “Do you?”

Alana blinked at Jack a few times. “That's not how I meant it. I never had a solid hypothesis on what made him like this. I used to think deep changes to the personality from emotional trauma alone couldn't happen after childhood but who knows?” Alana said again

“I think I want you to continue to have sessions with Dr. Lecter. Do you think he would be opposed to that?” Jack asked. 

“Probably not.” Alana replied.

“Good. I want you to make sure you continue to find him to be… cleared and fit for this type of work. Understood?” he asked and Alana nodded. “Good.”

.

Hannibal approached the crime scene and saw Will from afar. They were deep in the woods, a place Hannibal didn’t often appreciate. He stepped carefully around twigs and leaves, coming up to the crime scene. 

Will had been among the bodies at first when Hannibal had appeared but he had come over to meet him. 

“Still on the case with me?” Will asked. 

“Unfortunately for you, Jack has continued to let me be of service,” Hannibal said.

“You better prepare yourself for what you’re about to see, Doctor.” Will said, low and haunting. 

“I’m sure I will be able to handle it.” Hannibal said. He scanned the crowd, forced back from the police line. “There are many people gathered around are you sure this is best? We should clear the area, no?” He asked

Will looked up, finding Freddie Lounds’ bright red hair amongst the crowd. “You know what? You might be right.” Will walked over the police officers and pointed her out, but she had disappeared before they could talk to her.

“She is elusive, this woman,” Hannibal commented. 

“Not as elusive as this murderer is. Are you ready for this? They’re preserved, in a way, it’s sick.” Will said, but Hannibal caught a weird light in Will’s eyes.

“I’m ready,” He said and followed Will to the scene. 

They stood amongst the human bodies, half dug up from the ground. They had been planted, used and abused, the mushrooms taking over their entire organisms. 

Hannibal was intensely interested. “This is… elaborate.” He said eventually, when Will showed him the extent of the growth.

“We think he’ll be striking again soon. These patients were all disappearances that were spread out over a few weeks. Last one hasn’t been for a while.” Will said.

“Plus we’ve ruined his progress.” Hannibal muttered. 

“I’m sorry?” Will asked. 

“To him, we’ve ruined his progress. He was probably gardening these for something special, cultivating them with love and care. He will need to start from scratch.” Hannibal said.

“Good point. Let’s try to find a common denominator which will profile them. They’re all different races, heights, weights, genders.” Will said, rattling off what they knew so far. 

“Once the identities come back I can comb their medical records for any similarities.” Hannibal offered.

He stooped to get a closer look at one of the mycelium growing in the grave they stood over. This feeling was eery for Hannibal, being so close to death, so flush up against a murderer. He felt almost exposed, as if him giving his insight was almost giving away his secret.

He looked up and caught Will staring at him. Will leaned down near Hannibal. He assessed Hannibal with an intensity that made Hannibal wonder if Will also had a secret he had been hoping to hide.

In a flash, the body they spoke over moved, twitched, and grabbed Hannibal’s hand. He stared calmly at the decomposed hand, touching his plastic gloved hand. “Oh my god,” Will shouted. “EMT’s please, this one’s alive. He’s alive,” Will ran towards the emergency response team as Hannibal leaned down to the decomposing person.

“It shall all be over soon, not to worry, now, dear,” Hannibal muttered as the EMT’s swept in, ushering him away and taking over the scene.

“You okay?” Will asked, still breathing heavy from the adrenaline of the situation.

“Fine.” Hannibal said, calm and collected.

.

As Hannibal and Will drove back to the FBI headquarters, Hannibal was thinking of his session with Alana Bloom. 

“I had my psych evaluation this morning. I did not know that we had a common friend in Alana Bloom. She was one of my residents at John’s Hopkins. She is a very exceptional woman,” Hannibal said of his newly appointed psychiatrist. 

“I would call her less of a common friend and more of an uncommon annoyance,” Will said, snappily, and Hannibal arched an eyebrow. “She alternates between being interested in writing papers about me, and interested in being friends with me. Always annoys me in a person.” Will said.

“Have you encountered many people like that in your life time?” Hannibal asked.

“I figured you would at least understand, being on the writing side of the writing papers part. I like Alana, I just know she has conflicting feelings about me,” Will said.

“Why might she have conflicting feelings?” Hannibal asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. 

“She is a psychiatrist. She’s paranoid,” Will quipped, eyeing Hannibal up and down as if the sentiment was an obvious one. 

Hannibal scoffed. “You’re being quite rude today, Will,” His fingers itched. He yearned to wrap his hands around Will’s neck until his breathing slowed and eventually stopped.

“Didn’t mean anything by it,” Will said, his face turning soft again, a small smile creeping at his lips. Hannibal stared. It looked so off putting. So close to being a genuine smile and yet, somehow not. 

.

“Today you two are going to go investigate at the Hobbs’ cabin.” Jack instructed. “We have to wait for all the tests to come back from the mushrooms. Zeller and Price have started calling him the Gardner, but I’m not sold.” He said, shaking his head.

“Why are we going to the Hobbs’ cabin?” Hannibal asked. 

“We have reason to believe that Abigail could have been fishing these girls in with her father. Garrett Jacob Hobbs is dead, but Abigail is very much alive in that hospital bed.” Jack said. “Story is they used to go hunting together for all these long weekends.” 

“You don’t really think she could have been involved.” Hannibal said, doubtedly.

“We can’t afford to rule anything out at this point,” Will said, his jaw set in a hard line. 

“She’s just a child,” Hannibal said, his eyes narrowing. “And quite badly injured by her father in the process. Do you have any hard evidence?” 

“That’s your job, Hannibal. You and Will are going up there today to find just that. Evidence.” Jack said, sternly. “I don’t want to hear any more arguments on this until you do some actual digging.” He said, finally. “Call me when you have something,” 

The two drove in silence for a while.

“So you think Abigail was involved in these murders?” Hannibal asked of Will, eventually.

Will sighed heavily. “I’m not sure what I think yet. Like Jack said, there’s no evidence yet. We need to uncover the truth.” 

Hannibal looked out the window and scoffed. “Whatever truth there ever was died with Garrett Jacob Hobbs,” He muttered.

“Then why are you here, huh?” Will asked. “I thought death was nothing to you, Mr. ER Surgeon, but you’re confused as to why Abigail would help her murderer father reel girls in?” He said, skeptically.

“They’re not the same. I find it distasteful.” Hannibal said. “And all together improbable.” 

“Improbable.” Will said. “Not impossible. That’s why we’re going up here today. If you don’t want to investigate this, maybe this isn’t the right job for you,” Will said, snappily.

Hannibal huffed and they spent the rest of the drive in silence. As they opened up the cabin doors, hands clad in rubber gloves, they were skeptical. The cabin was quite beautiful and large enough to be a vacation spot. However, it was starkly decorated, almost haunting.

“I’m going to look upstairs,” Will said, climbing the narrow staircase, Hannibal following closely behind.

They rounded the top of the staircase and found a room entirely dedicated to antlers. There were floor to ceiling mounted antlers all around the room. 

“Still think Abigail had nothing to do with this?” Will asked quietly as they walked around the room, slowly. 

“This is not evidence of any wrong doings, Will,” Hannibal said. 

“No,” Will admitted slowly, “But what could they have been doing on all those long weekends? This place isn’t exactly sound proof,” He said, turning to look Hannibal in the eyes. “There’s no way she didn’t know what Garrett Jacob Hobbs was doing,” Will said. 

“Perhaps,” Hannibal said, admiring the antlers, and stepping around Will to delve deeper into the room. “I just prefer to let the evidence do the talking. Abigail is still unconscious in the hospital as we speculate about what happened here in her father’s cabin,” He countered.

“Fair enough,” Will said, looking around, starting to seem shifty.

“Look at this,” Hannibal said, pointing to a spot on the ground, “A long red, curly hair. I do believe the Hobbs are all brunet aren’t they?” He asked, remembering the woman with the fiery red hair from the Gardener’s scene. 

Will took tweezers and lifted it into an evidence bag. “Freddie Lounds,” He muttered angrily. “There’s not anything in this world she doesn’t soil with her grubby little hands,” 

Hannibal assessed Will’s angry demeanor. “She trespasses on crime scenes… often?” he asked tentatively. 

“Not as a rule. But I've run into her too many times for it to be coincidence anymore.” Will said darkly. 

“Quite brash, if I do say so.” Hannibal said

“And that's much nicer than the word I was going to use.” Will said, avoiding eye contact with Hannibal. 

As they continued to look around they were just perplexed by how haunted the place felt. Will flipped his phone open and dialed Jack's number. 

“Yeah, hi Jack. The place is pretty creepy, we have photos, but we also got a strand of what looks like Freddie Lounds hair. Any curly haired red heads on the police detail this morning?” he asked. 

There was a pause and Hannibal looked around, touching the marks carved into the big wooden table. 

“Yeah, that's what we figured. Okay Jack.” Another pause. “Really? We’ll be right there. Thanks.” he said and hung up. 

“What do you think there are so many knicks in the wood for?” Hannibal asked, looking spacey. 

“We can come back to that. Abigail woke up.” Will said. 

“Then by all means, what are we waiting for?” Hannibal said, tugging his coat more closely around himself as the two men headed for the car.


End file.
